Updating . .   

Newsom proposes $2.7 billion to expand COVID-19 response efforts -- fornia would spend $2.7 billion on new efforts to respond to the surge in COVID-19 cases, including additional testing capacity and assistance to hospitals, under a budget proposal Gov. Gavin Newsom will send to state lawmakers next week. John Myers in the Los Angeles Times$ Maggie Angst in the San Jose Mercury$ Sophia Bollag in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 1/8/22

More California kids are hospitalized with COVID than ever before, officials say -- California officials say hospitals are admitting children with COVID-19 at an unprecedented rate, mirroring a nationwide trend as the omicron variant continues spreading across the United State. Lara Korte in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 1/8/22

Santa Clara County’s top health, education officials urge schools not to go online -- In a joint statement, Public Health Director Dr. Sara Cody and Superintendent of Schools Mary Ann Dewan urged school districts to “find ways to co-exist and to live with COVID” instead of going remote amid a nationwide surge of the omicron variant. Shomik Mukherjee in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 1/8/22

Frustrations rise as Gov. Newsom’s vow to screen students for COVID falls short -- Students in the Burbank Unified School District received a shipment of coronavirus rapid tests from the state Wednesday, but for parents like Nicole Chancey, it was too late. Melody Gutierrez, MacKenzie Mays in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/8/22

Where are the pills to battle COVID? They’re here, but too few to conquer omicron -- Two newly authorized COVID antiviral pills started arriving at a small number of Bay Area medical centers and pharmacies this week. But supply is so meager that the medications probably won’t make a major impact in the current omicron surge. Catherine Ho in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/8/22

Some Angelenos say it’s time to learn to live with COVID -- As coronavirus cases soared across Los Angeles last week, Jennifer Chan entered Olvera Street’s Casa California in search of the colorful and decorative papel picado for her baby shower. Andrew J. Campa, Deborah Netburn in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/8/22

Smith: ‘Everybody’s getting COVID.’ That doesn’t mean you should try to get it, too -- And yet, in Dr. Roberto Vargas’ corner of California in South L.A., where he’s been helping lead an effort to persuade hesitant Black and Latino residents to get vaccinated, what he hears isn’t terror over Omicron, but resignation. And, perhaps more troubling, what he increasingly hears is surrender. Erika D. Smith in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/8/22

Lopez: Still have questions about COVID-19 vaccines? This nurse has answers -- Let’s say you’re not sure it’s safe for your kids to get vaccinated against COVID-19, or for you to get on a plane. He can help you make an informed decision. Steve Lopez in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/8/22

Fans set to return to AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am next month -- Despite the recent surge in COVID-19 cases due to the omicron variant, there has been no discussion of fans not being permitted or being limited at this year’s 76th AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. John Devine in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 1/8/22

Policy and Politics  

COVID concerns fueled absences among some California lawmakers -- Many of the most frequently absent said they decided to work remotely as often as possible to reduce their risk of COVID-19 exposure because they have young children or vulnerable relatives at home. Dustin Gardiner in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 1/8/22

Which California lawmakers have had COVID-19? 10 have revealed positive tests -- Ten of California’s 120 state legislators have disclosed that they’ve tested positive for COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic almost two years ago, according to a Sacramento Bee analysis. Lara Korte in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 1/8/22

Water  

California’s recent rains won’t end our stubborn drought. These charts show why -- California just received more precipitation in the last three months of 2021 than it got in the previous year. The mountains are heaped with historic amounts of heavy snow. Paul Duginski in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/8/22

Education  

UC Berkeley revokes recognition of 3 fraternities over hazing -- The university’s chapters of Chi Phi and Theta Delta Chi had their recognized status stripped until January 2026. The local chapter of Sigma Alpha Epsilon had its recognition revoked until January 2029, said Adam Ratliff, a spokesperson for UC Berkeley student affairs. Andres Picon in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 1/8/22

Squaw Valley  

Indigenous coalition takes fight to rename town of Squaw Valley to federal board -- Roman Rain Tree’s mother was gravely ill with cancer when he asked her if she thought their Native American tribe would gain federal recognition while their ancestral homeland in Fresno County bore a name many consider offensive. Lila Seidman in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/8/22

Also . . .   

Famed mountain lion P-22 makes dramatic appearance in Beachwood Canyon backyard -- Leilani Fideler received an alert that her backyard motion sensor had detected some raccoons. Soon, her phone pinged again. This time, it wasn’t a raccoon. Nathan Solis in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/8/22

California Policy and Politics Saturday Morning  

Newsom taps National Guard to bolster COVID-19 testing capacity -- Amid an omicron variant-driven surge in COVID-19 cases, Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday announced he is activating the California National Guard to bolster testing capacity. More than 200 members will be deployed to 50 Optum Serve sites around California. Jason Green in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 1/8/22

Fake coronavirus testing sites are popping up in S.F. amid omicron surge -- The department declined to answer questions about how it discovered the unauthorized testing operations, their motives or what authorities intend to do about them. But it advised people to stick with authorized sites or home test kits purchased at a store. Michael Cabanatuan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 1/8/22

Virus testing shortages and delays help fuel surge -- The difficulty finding coronavirus test kits in many parts of California and delays in getting results are causing increasing frustration and contributing to the surge of infections that in just two weeks more than doubled the number of people in hospitals with COVID-19. Amy Taxin and Christopher Weber Associated Press -- 1/8/22

L.A. County sees a record 44,000 new coronavirus cases as staff shortages strain hospitals -- Emergency rooms across California are coming under strain as they contend both with a deluge of new coronavirus-positive patients and people coming in to demand tests — all as their workers are increasingly being stricken by the rapidly spreading Omicron variant. Rong-Gong Lin II, Luke Money, Hayley Smith, Emily Alpert Reyes in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/8/22

Orange County ERs struggle to keep up as COVID-19 cases continue spiking -- As in much of the nation, Orange County continues to set records for daily new coronavirus infections, with the OC Health Care Agency on Friday reporting 6,428 new cases and nearly 20% of tests coming back positive. Alicia Robinson in the Orange County Register -- 1/8/22

Unboosted: California COVID-19 booster rate falls below 40% in most counties -- In 19 California counties, less than a third of vaccinated residents are boosted. In some counties, it’s less than 25%. One health official blames “pandemic fatigue.” Kristen Hwang and Ana B. Ibarra CalMatters -- 1/8/22

‘We need every shot we can get’: Homeless vaccination clinic sees big turnout amid omicron wave -- Monique M. bared her right arm, shut her eyes and braced. A clinic worker jabbed in a shot of Pfizer vaccine, and Monique gave out a little yelp. It was over in seconds. Kevin Fagan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 1/8/22

L.A. County sues another restaurant for defying COVID-19 orders -- The lawsuit filed this week states that Novo Cafe hosted diners both indoors and outdoors when doing so was prohibited last winter and continued to operate for months after its public health permit was revoked. Emily Alpert Reyes in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/8/22

Supreme Court casts doubt on Biden’s vaccine rule for the workplace -- The Supreme Court’s conservative majority cast doubt Friday on President Biden’s plan to require that most American employees be vaccinated for COVID-19 or undergo weekly coronavirus testing. David G. Savage in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/8/22

COVID School  

LAUSD determined to open despite increase in infections; Montebello schools will delay term -- Coronavirus infection rates have shot up to 13.5% among students and staff tested this week in the Los Angeles Unified School District, a nearly 10-fold rise since before winter break, as officials said Friday that they are moving forward to safely open classrooms for in-person learning on Tuesday. Howard Blume in the Los Angeles Times$ Linh Tat in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 1/8/22

12 Oakland schools close as 500 teachers out amid sickout, omicron surge with educators calling for remote learning -- The absences — which totaled about 20% of teachers — came amid a “sickout” from teachers who protested what they say are unsafe working conditions during the omicron surge. Ricardo Cano in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Summer Lin in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 1/8/22

Amid pandemic, just 25% of students took statewide tests -- The low participation rate makes it impossible to know the full extent of learning loss statewide during a year when most of California’s classrooms were closed and students were doing remote learning. Jocelyn Gecker Associated Press -- 1/8/22

California K-12 test scores and graduation rates dipped during the pandemic, though data is incomplete -- Student test scores and graduation rates took a hit during the pandemic, according to a snapshot of data that offers the first look at academic performance after a year or more of distance learning for many students. Jill Tucker in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 1/8/22

First comprehensive data in two years show big academic setbacks for California students -- The results show that about half of all California students tested did not meet state standards in English language arts and about two-thirds did not meet standards in math. The scores of Black, Latino and economically disadvantaged students were significantly lower, with more than 60% not meeting English standards and about 80% not meeting math standards. Paloma Esquivel in the Los Angeles Times$ John Woolfolk in the San Jose Mercury$ Beau Yarbrough in the Orange County Register -- 1/8/22

COVID Economy  

Bay Area mayors warn of ‘catastrophic’ impact on local restaurants without more federal aid -- San Francisco Mayor London Breed, Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf and San Rafael Mayor Kate Colin called on members of Congress Friday to provide emergency relief for restaurants, warning of “catastrophic” impact on the local economy and a massive wave of permanent restaurant closures. Janelle Bitker in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 1/8/22

COVID and College   

After 700 people test positive for COVID, Stanford puts off in-person classes -- More than 700 people on the Stanford campus have tested positive for the coronavirus this week, prompting university administrators to further delay the start of in-person classes and to plan for the possibility of moving some uninfected students from their dorm rooms. Michael Cabanatuan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 1/8/22

USC extends remote learning to two weeks -- USC, which previously announced it would begin the spring semester with one week of remote classes due to locally rising COVID-19 cases, extended the remote learning period for a second week on Friday, Jan. 7. The item is in the Orange County Register -- 1/8/22

CSUN joins 10 other Cal State campuses in switch to online learning amid winter surge -- Cal State Northridge on Friday, Jan. 7, became the 11th California State University campus to announce it will pivot to online learning, at least for a bit, amid the winter coronavirus surge — meaning nearly half of all CSUs will begin the spring semester virtually. Pierce Singgih in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 1/8/22

Powerless  

December snow storms buried Nevada County. A week into the new year thousands still don’t have power -- But none of that quite prepared her for the freak snowstorm on Dec. 26, which toppled thousands of trees and left her family of five — a long with thousands of neighbors in rural areas around Nevada City and Grass Valley — without running water, heat or power. The storm was part of a record month of snow for the greater Tahoe area, with parts of the Sierras recording more than 200 inches in December. J.K. Dineen in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 1/8/22

Policy and Politics  

State Medical Board seeks far-reaching reforms to discipline bad doctors -- Long under fire from patients and consumer advocates, the Medical Board of California is asking lawmakers to pass several far-reaching reforms to help it discipline bad doctors, including lowering the standard of proof necessary to prove cases. Melody Gutierrez, Brittny Mejia, Jack Dolan, Kim Christensen in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/8/22

Judge rejects Jose Huizar request to drop charges in L.A. corruption case -- A federal judge denied Jose Huizar’s request to sharply scale back a sweeping Los Angeles City Hall corruption case, ruling Friday that prosecutors can move ahead with a trial of the former councilman on charges that include bribery and racketeering. Michael Finnegan, David Zahniser in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/8/22

2022 elections: Who’s running in Orange County’s new House, state Senate and Assembly districts? -- So far, there are at least 43 candidates vying for one of six newly drawn Congressional seats, five state Senate seats and nine Assembly seats that are up for election this year. Candidates have until March 11 to file formal declarations to run for office. Brooke Staggs in the Orange County Register -- 1/8/22

Special election set for Fresno seat left by Devin Nunes. When it will be, how to register -- The special election for the remaining months left in the term vacated by Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Tulare, will be held June 7, according to an announcement Friday from the office of Gov. Gavin Newsom. Congressional District 22, as well as state Assembly districts 11 and 80, will see special elections that coincide with the statewide primary on June 7. Thaddeus Miller in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 1/8/22

Special election scheduled for 80th Assembly -- Days after Assemblymember Lorena Gonzalez resigned her seat, Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a special election for San Diego’s 80th Assembly District and two other state offices Deborah Sullivan Brennan in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 1/8/22

How a California congressman’s viral tweet about a gift card spawned #OperationGrandma -- It started with a tweet on Friday around 1 p.m. “Does anyone know an Emma and Erick living in a basement apartment in DC? A gift card was sent to them but arrived in my DC mail,” wrote East Bay congressman Eric Swalwell. “Only return info I have is ‘Grandma.’ I’d like to get it to them!” Soon, Twitter users kicked into gear — using #OperationGrandma to spread the message, which quickly went viral. Danielle Echeverria in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 1/8/22

Landlords and Tenants  

California getting an additional $68 million in federal rent relief dollars -- But the state is seeking $1.91 billion more as tenants' requests exceed state funding by $4.2 billion. Jeff Collins in the Orange County Register -- 1/8/22

Street  

‘Taken for nothing’: Remembering the victims of a deadly year in Oakland -- These are 5 of the 129 people killed in Oakland last year. There were few arrests Lauren Hepler, Rachel Swan, Shwanika Narayan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 1/8/22

Fundraiser set up for Alameda County sheriff’s recruit shot to death on freeway -- An online fundraiser for an Alameda County Sheriff’s Office recruit who was killed in a freeway shooting raised more than $5,000 in its first hour Friday. David Nguyen died Tuesday afternoon after being hit with gunfire while driving on the connector from westbound Interstate 580 to Interstate 80. Rick Hurd in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 1/8/22

Ex-Sheriff’s Deputy Pleads Guilty in Killing of Unarmed Man Who Fled Police -- Aaron Russell, 25, faces up to 11 years in prison for manslaughter for fatally shooting Nicholas Bils after he escaped from a park ranger’s vehicle in San Diego. Vimal Patel in the New York Times$ -- 1/8/22

Gag order issued in San Jose serial-robbery case over law-enforcement news conferences -- A Santa Clara County judge has issued a gag order in a high-profile San Jose serial-robbery case — involving the alleged targeting of Asian women — after defense attorneys cried foul over a December news conference by police and prosecutors that they argued risked tainting a potential jury pool. Robert Salonga in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 1/8/22

New psychiatric hospital opens in Sacramento with 117 beds amid demand for mental health -- Corona-based Signature Healthcare Services has expanded into the Sacramento region with a 117-bed psychiatric hospital to help meet the substantial demand for care here, company executives said, noting that this is the first such facility to be built in Northern California since the late 1980s. Cathie Anderson in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 1/8/22

Guns  

Contra Costa Sheriff staff let civilians take home guns parts, ammo that had been marked for destruction -- Contra Costa County Sheriff’s staff for years allowed a volunteer and staff at one of its gun ranges to make off with unwanted gun parts and ammunition that had been acquired by the department, in some cases leading to those weapons parts ending up back on the streets. Nate Gartrell, Shomik Mukherjee in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 1/8/22

"Rust" Shooting  

Detectives still seek Alec Baldwin’s cellphone in ‘Rust’ shooting investigation -- New Mexico law enforcement officers have solicited help from New York authorities to retrieve Alec Baldwin’s cellphone in the “Rust” shooting investigation — more than three weeks after detectives asked to search the phone. Meg James in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/8/22

Housing  

California Court OKs Controversial Newark Housing Plan Along Its Climate-Vulnerable Wetlands -- A California district court has sided with the city of Newark and developer The Sobrato Organization in a lawsuit filed by environmental groups who challenged a plan to build hundreds of two-story tract homes along fragile wetlands in Alameda County. Ezra David Romero KQED -- 1/8/22

Education  

Mater Dei High names new president in the wake of hazing scandal -- Michael Brennan will start at the Orange County private school on Feb. 1, Diocese of Orange officials said Friday. He has been president of St. Anthony High School in Long Beach since last year. Hannah Fry, Connor Sheets, Laura J. Nelson in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/8/22

Conception Fire   

Coast Guard announces safety rules after deadly boat fire -- The Coast Guard has announced new safety rules following a deadly blaze that killed 34 people on a scuba diving boat off the California coast more than two years ago, including installation of fire detection and suppression equipment. Stefanie Dazio and Brian Melley Associated Press Richard Winton, Gregory Yee in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/8/22

Environment  

Parking pile-ups and hikers lost in snow: Tahoe’s Sno-Parks feel the squeeze of visitors -- As attendance has soared in recent years, these play areas have seen parking pile-ups, overflowing port-a-potties and trash bins, litter and dog feces and visitors going lost in the surrounding woods. Many fear more of the same this winter. Gregory Thomas in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 1/8/22

Also . . .   

Sea lion with ‘track record for wandering into odd places’ rescued along San Diego highway -- A sea lion made its way to a highway interchange east of downtown San Diego Friday morning — a fairly long way from the ocean — a shocking sight that caused drivers to pull over to help protect the lost creature. It turns out this particular animal has done this sort of thing before. Teri Figueroa in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 1/8/22

Riggs: Farewell to a staple of Capitol news coverage -- Room 1190 is a place where elected leaders were answerable to the public and where so much of California’s political history was written. Kevin Riggs CalMatters -- 1/8/22

Amy Schneider Becomes First Woman to Surpass $1 Million on ‘Jeopardy!’ -- “It’s not a sum of money I ever anticipated would be associated with my name,” Schneider, a 42-year-old software engineering manager who lives in Oakland, Calif., said in a news release. Julia Jacobs in the New York Times$ -- 1/8/22